[kevan79]

All,


This is my near final build of my HTPC. Any suggestions / feedback?


Confirm this memory will work? Wifi card? I am looking to make this somewhat low power consumption...hoping this will get me to where I want to be?

nMEDIAPC Black Aluminum HTPC 5000B Micro ATX Media Center Retail $59
GIGABYTE GA-785GMT-USB3 AM3 AMD 785G USB 3.0 HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard - Retail $95
AMD Athlon II X2 240 Regor 2.8GHz Socket AM3 65W Dual-Core Processor Model ADX240OCGQBOX - Retail $58
G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL9D-2GBNQ - Retail $65 (any other recommended memory)
Western Digital Caviar Green WD10EARS 1TB 5400 RPM SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5 Hard Drive $80
Hauppauge WinTV-HVR-2250 Dual TV Tuner $115
Gyration GYR4101US Black Mini Air Music Remote & Compact Keyboard $123
LITE-ON DVD Writer Black SATA Model iHAS224-06 LightScribe - OEM $26

Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 32-bit OEM $140
TRENDnet TEW-623PI 32-Bit PCI Wireless N-Draft Adapter - Retail $43


Updated w/ Power
SeaSonic SS-300ES Bronze 300W ATX12V V2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified $38


Of special note...this will be used primarily for Movies/TV viewing and some surfing...would like to stream netflix as well. Anyone have any suggestions for wireless networking card?


Total cost is looking to be $843 (updated) plus shipping...though I'm considering adding a second hard drive.


Thanks!

 

[trginter]

This is just my opinion...


How about this for the mobo/ram? Unless you really really want AM3/DDR3. You could save some money and put it towards something else.


GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128394


G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231098

 

[JeffStickney]

I notice the case doesn't include a power supply. You'll need to add one of them.

 

[kevan79]

Thanks Jeff, I must have left the power supply off the list...will add it now.

 

[kevan79]



Quote:
Originally Posted by trginter /forum/post/18267239


This is just my opinion...


How about this for the mobo/ram? Unless you really really want AM3/DDR3. You could save some money and put it towards something else.


GIGABYTE GA-MA785GM-US2H
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16813128394


G.SKILL 2GB (2 x 1GB) DDR2 800
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16820231098

Thanks for the input, I'll defintely consider this, as I wasn't sure I needed the DDR3 memory...and saving money is always an option, however, I was considering the other Mobo due to it having USB 3.0

 

[etheesdad]

consider a 235e or 240e for the cpu. Lower tdp = quieter machine.

 

[kevan79]



Quote:
Originally Posted by etheesdad /forum/post/18268577


consider a 235e or 240e for the cpu. Lower tdp = quieter machine.

I would love one of these cause I think they are 35w? Maybe 25w, don't remember, but last I remember, they've gotten very hard to find? Guess I could check ebay...


PM me if you know a reputable seller that has any.

 

[etheesdad]

Im in Australia. They just hit here a couple of weeks ago. Have been available in the UK for a bit longer. What country are you in?

 

[kevan79]

I'm in the U.S. Found the chip on buy.com for $88....seems too much to me...not sure I would save that much money that quickly...

 

[etheesdad]



Quote:
Originally Posted by kevan79 /forum/post/18269882


I'm in the U.S. Found the chip on buy.com for $88....seems too much to me...not sure I would save that much money that quickly...

Its not about saving money. Lower tdp = quieter machine.

 

[rjyap]

Do you need to bitstream HD audio? If yes, your setup will not work. You need to add on ATI 5xxx video card which will increase your power requirement. If gaming is not important, go for i3 + H55 board for lower overall power requirement + HD audio bitstreaming.

 

[justinm0424]

I'd suggest keeping the original board. USB3.0 is 10x faster than 2.0 and once devices start coming out you'll be kicking yourself for not spending the extra few bucks. Also I'd stick with AM3 boards and get 2x2gb PC3 ram. It might be overkill but you won't need to upgrade when win8 comes out in a few years. 2GB is the min requirement for win7 64bit and OS's are becoming ram hogs. Buying the 2x2gb ram now will help future proof incase win8 requires 3 or 4gb and would only cost you another $25 or so.


frys.com has a 2tb drive for $130 just an FYI. Also you can always wait to purchase another drive once yours fillsup.


Also you have 5 SATA ports. If you plan on ripping a lot of movies these ports can fillup quickly. You can buy PATA DVD drives and save the SATA ports for drives. DVD's aren't any quicker on SATA than PATA. Also if you have a lot of movies 2 dvd drives makes ripping movies twice as fast for only $25.


I don't really understand people buying am2+ DDR2 boards that support AM3. I understand saving a few bucks but with the price of DDR2 going up and the added speed of AM3 and DDR3 it doesn't seem worth it.


also if you're a student or know a college student checkout win741.com it's a windows website with cheap win7. You can get professional if you click on "need to access schools domain". When win7 cameout I got it for around $40 but i think its closer to $70 now.

 

[kevan79]



Quote:
Originally Posted by justinm0424 /forum/post/18270609


I'd suggest keeping the original board. USB3.0 is 10x faster than 2.0 and once devices start coming out you'll be kicking yourself for not spending the extra few bucks. Also I'd stick with AM3 boards and get 2x2gb PC3 ram. It might be overkill but you won't need to upgrade when win8 comes out in a few years. 2GB is the min requirement for win7 64bit and OS's are becoming ram hogs. Buying the 2x2gb ram now will help future proof incase win8 requires 3 or 4gb and would only cost you another $25 or so.


frys.com has a 2tb drive for $130 just an FYI. Also you can always wait to purchase another drive once yours fillsup.


Also you have 5 SATA ports. If you plan on ripping a lot of movies these ports can fillup quickly. You can buy PATA DVD drives and save the SATA ports for drives. DVD's aren't any quicker on SATA than PATA. Also if you have a lot of movies 2 dvd drives makes ripping movies twice as fast

I don't really understand people buying am2+ DDR2 boards that support AM3. I understand saving a few bucks but with the price of DDR2 going up and the added speed of AM3 and DDR3 it doesn't seem worth it.


also if you're a student or know a college student checkout win741.com it's a windows website with cheap win7. You can get professional if you click on "need to access schools domain". When win7 cameout I got it for around $40 but i think its closer to $70 now.

Thanks for the great feedback. When I get home and am not on a cellphone I'll LOL into some of those things...thanks again!

 

[kevan79]



Quote:
Originally Posted by rjyap /forum/post/18270056


Do you need to bitstream HD audio? If yes, your setup will not work. You need to add on ATI 5xxx video card which will increase your power requirement. If gaming is not important, go for i3 + H55 board for lower overall power requirement + HD audio bitstreaming.

I might need to do more research...current plan is to run HDMI cable from htpc to large screen TV...the current setup won't support audio over hdmi?

 

[justinm0424]



Quote:
Originally Posted by kevan79 /forum/post/18271241


I might need to do more research...current plan is to run HDMI cable from htpc to large screen TV...the current setup won't support audio over hdmi?

Yes it will but willnot support HDaudio (DTSHD, TruHD). If you don't have a HDMI reciever that has these features if wont effect you.

 

[kevan79]

OK cool...not worried about that right now...maybe a few years down the road...this is my 1st Gen htpc...though I do have an Ati card that would work in my desktop...thanks for keeping me honest!

 

[kevan79]

Just a shameless bump to see if there are any other suggestions....thanks again everyone!